"You're jaw is bruising..." Katniss mumbled, stroking Johanna's jaw.
Johanna winced at the touch, but still managed a laugh, "Yeah, well you have one hell of a right hook!"
The two were sitting on the couch by the fire, facing each other. While Johanna felt such a burning passion inside of her, she knew that there were some dark demons still living inside of each of them. There were fleeting memories of the ones she loved and lost as she looked at the one person she truly had left in the world. There was a somber feeling in the air, but Johanna couldn't help but feel that least bit of hope. Because, all wasn't lost. Not this time.
"I'm so sorry Jo." Katniss dropped her gaze.
Again, Johanna laughed, "You've apologized a million times Katniss. I don't care. Trust me, if I was mad you would have known!"
Johanna couldn't help but stare at Katniss, with how beautiful she looked. Especially with the light of the fire bouncing off of her skin right now. So maybe fire and wood did go well together, it created a beautiful warmth after all. Finally, she leaned forward and kissed Katniss, pushing her back down on the couch while Johanna stayed on top of her, their lips never leaving each other.
Everything was driving Johanna crazy right now, but the good kind of crazy. The pressure of her body against Katniss, her lips, the sound of her breathing, her beautiful eyes... all of it.
Riiiiinnnnggg.
Johanna tried to ignored the annoying ring of the telephone, while her lips traced Katniss's jawline.
Riiiiinnnnnggg.
Katniss groaned and pushed Johanna off of her, "It might be something important."
Johanna was pretty upset with whoever it was on the telephone, as Katniss got up to answer it. She sat up and grumpily folded her arms.
"Yeah she's here." Johanna heard Katniss say to whoever was on the phone. She perked up immediately. There would really only be one person who would need to contact her, and she started to worry about Annie.
But instead of handing the phone to Johanna, she placed it on the table, turning the speakerphone on, and sat down next to her. Katniss's hand found Johanna's, and they sat together, hands intertwined. "Alright we're both here." Katniss said.
"Okay good." Peeta's voice echoed into the large room.
Johanna's eyes squinted, "Peeta? Is everything alright? Is Annie okay?"
"Everybody's fine," Peeta assured her. Johanna breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't live with herself if something happened to Annie or Kellen because she had left, "I actually wanted to talk to you guys about something else. You know how the Capitol Games are coming up soon?"
"Yeah, what about them?" Katniss asked.
"Well, we all declined the mentoring job, but I thought a little bit about it..." Peeta sighed, "What if we did actually mentor them?"
"Are you out of your mind?" Johanna practically yelled.
"Look, I know it's crazy but hear me out! Please. Everybody else has already agreed to it, you're the last two that need to agree." Peeta explained, "We don't want to be like the Capitol, when they left us hanging all those years ago. We want a new, fresh start. A new age. Show them that we'll be there for them still. If we can find it in our hearts to mentor one last time, give a little bit of ourselves, make this a group affair rather then just watch the Capitol struggle, we can show them that we can all live together in peace, and that we want to."
The boy did have a point...
Johanna sighed, and looked over at Katniss who was taking it all in.
"So what do you guys say? For peace in Panem?" Peeta asked. He was fantastic at wording his phrases.
Katniss looked at Johanna, as if she weren't going to agree to it if Johanna didn't. Johanna nodded at Katniss, who responded, "Alright we're in."
"Johanna?"
"Yeah, I'll do it. For peace." Johanna huffed, still not too happy about it. But Peeta was right, as usual.
"Great!" Peeta said, "I'll tell President Paylor we've all agreed to it. But... there's one more thing. With all of the lights, publicity, happy Victors living freely under the new leader..."
"What is it, Peeta?" Katniss asked, groaning.
There was a pause on the other end. Then, "Everybody still expects us to be together, Katniss."
Johanna had gotten up and walked away when Peeta dropped the bomb that he and Katniss were going to have to play "lovers" one more time. It didn't actually sit well with her at all.
She heard Katniss scramble to end the conversation with Peeta, right before Johanna had stepped outside to get some fresh air.
It was cold at night in District Twelve, nothing Johanna wasn't used to, but she definitely wasn't dressed for it. It didn't matter, the sting of the cold air against her skin felt nice. She needed to cool down a little bit anyway. She sat on a stump facing the woods.
A shiver ran through her body when she felt Katniss's hands on her shoulders. It wasn't a cold shiver. Johanna leaned back, resting herself against Katniss's body.
"Johanna, there's nothing to be worried about." Katniss said softly.
"Oh, I'm not worried," Johanna rolled her eyes, "Just a little frustrated is all. Having to go back to the Capitol and mentor one last time is bad enough..."
Katniss wrapped her arms around Johanna's waist from the back, squatting down to her level while she sat. "I don't have to pretend to be in love with Peeta anymore. I want to tell them the truth." Katniss pressed her lips to Johanna's neck.
"You can't," Johanna sighed, "That's the frustrating part. Right now, the world needs to see you and Peeta in love. That after the rebellion you two are living happily ever after. Once things die down, once the rebellion becomes old news, maybe then we can be honest."
"Are you sure? Are you going to be okay?" Katniss asked.
"I'll be fine, I promise." Johanna barely finished saying that when Katniss pulled her head around to kiss her. It was with such force that Johanna couldn't actually hold herself up on the stump anymore, and she fell backwards, taking Katniss with her.
They lay there laughing to themselves, until Katniss pecked Johanna's lips again and stood up, helping Johanna to her feet. "Oh shoot. You're all muddy now." Katniss tried to wipe some of it off.
"It's alright." Johanna said, stealing another quick kiss.
"We just need to get you washed up, and you'll be good."
Johanna froze when Katniss said that. She knew she was talking about a bath or a shower. When Johanna was in District Four, she barely stepped foot outside for fear of high tide rolling in and the water touching her. She couldn't do that. She couldn't do what Katniss wanted her to. Katniss recognized the look on Johanna's face. She could see the wheels turning in the other girl's head.
"You can't make me get in there." Johanna said flatly.
She stood in front of the tub, which was filling up with warm water. Her arms were crossed protectively over her chest. Katniss was not going to win this one. There was absolutely no way Johanna was getting in there.
"You need to take a bath." Katniss stated frankly.
"I don't, there's other ways to stay clean." Johanna argued.
Katniss turned and faced her, arms folded. Neither of the girls wanted to cave, "Look I understand why you don't want to get in, but it's just water. It isn't going to hurt you, alright?"
Johanna shook her head, "No."
"Johanna take off your clothes." Katniss ordered. In any other context, Johanna would have obliged. Not in this one.
"No."
"Johanna take off-"
"I'm not doing it so stop asking Katniss!" Johanna started to yell. Was it really worth it to start an argument with Katniss over all of this?"
Katniss snapped back, "I'm not asking, Johanna!" She knew Katniss had her best interest at heart right now, and that she was trying to show her tough love. It was what she needed. But she didn't want to get in the water. She didn't want any flashbacks. Not now, not while she was starting to be so happy.
Johanna still shook her head.
Katniss groaned, and before Johanna knew what was happening, Katniss took her shirt off.
"Katniss what are you doing?" Johanna asked, eyes wide. But she couldn't seem to pull her eyes away as the other girl undressed.
"I'm going to show you that it's not going to hurt you to take a bath." She said, taking the rest of her clothes off.
Johanna felt like maybe she should've averted her eyes, but she couldn't. Katniss was beautiful and she couldn't look away. She watched as she climbed into the bath tub, soaking her entire body, and resurfaced. "See?" Katniss smiled up at her, "I'm fine!"
"I know," Johanna said, and unfolded her arms, "It's not exactly the water I'm afraid of. It's the memories, more-so."
"The memories?" Katniss asked.
"The flashbacks of the... torture." Johanna had a hard time saying it, "I know the water won't hurt me, but I can't help but remember what happened every time water touches my skin."
Katniss let that soak in for a moment. "Well you could've said that before I stripped down and got into the tub."
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't have stripped down," Johanna smirked.
Even Katniss laughed at that, "So am I just going to sit in here alone or..."
Johanna bit her lip. Now she had a little bit of a dilemma... She didn't want to cave in, and let Katniss get the upper hand here. That just wasn't her personality. But then again, Katniss had a really good reason to have the upper hand in this situation. Johanna bit down on her lip, thinking about it all for a moment longer.
Finally, she sighed and rolled her eyes as if it were too much of a chore, but she ended up joining Katniss anyway.
At least if she got the flashbacks, she could open her eyes and realized that everything was alright, Katniss was right there. With her.